37

Alone

.
From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were — I have not seen

As others saw — I could not bring

My passions from a common spring —

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow — I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone —

And all I lov'd — I lov'd alone —

Then — in my childhood — in the dawn

Of a most stormy life — was drawn

From ev'ry depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still —

From the torrent, or the fountain —

From the red cliff of the mountain —

From the sun that 'round me roll'd

In its autumn tint of gold —

From the lightning in the sky

As it pass'd me flying by —

From the thunder, and the storm —

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view —

..

-Edgar Allen Poe-

..

.

Happy birthday to me..

Favourite Trekkie

DELTA QUADRANT UPDATE BIO-FILE: Seven of Nine. Species: Human (assimilated by Borg as a child but severed as an adult, retaining portion of cybernetic implants)Full Name at Birth: Annika HansenParents: Magnus & Erin Hansen (both assimilated by Borg ca. 2356); only known surviving relative is an aunt, Irene HansenPlace of birth: Tendara Colony, SD 25479Marital status: SingleLast recorded assignment: U.S.S. Voyager (no formal assignment or rank)Current status: Returned to Alpha Quadrant with Voyager in 2378.

Wouldn't mind some assimilation there. No, my resistence would be futile!!

Greatings , Locutus of Amsterdam

The Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition was an historical institution founded under Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile in 1478 to suppress heresies within the Catholic Church. The Inquisition was primarily under the control of the Spanish monarch, with only the Inquisitor General appointed by the Holy See.

In the history of the Catholic Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition is especially well-known, particularly in the nature of the auto de fe, or trials, of supposedly converted Muslims, Jews, and Illuminists. This Inquisition also gave rise to the Peruvian Inquisition and the Mexican Inquisition, which continued until those countries split off from Spain.

Torquemada documented some of the torture techniques. A favorite was tortura del'agua (water torture), in which the victim was strapped to a rack, his mouth forced open with a rag, and water was then forced down the throat so that the victim felt he was drowning. In another technique, the garrucha, the victim's hands were tied behind his back at the wrists; the victim was then lifted off the ground by the wrists. The 'Spanish chair', a device used to hold the victim while the soles of their feet were roasted, was certainly in existence in Spain during the period of the Inquisition. It is uncertain, however, whether it was actually used by the Inquisition.

I guess some guys really paid attention during history class.

L' Histoire se repète once again and now "The war on terror" doctrine is misused as a safe-conduct to violate human rights, invade foreign countries, kidnap, torture and execute human beings in concentration camps in a battle for oil.

I am the sun

.

I am the great sun, but you do not see me,

I am your husband, but you turn away.

I am the captive, but you do not free me,

I am the captain but you will not obey.
.

I am the truth, but you will not believe me,

I am the city where you will not stay.

I am your wife, your child, but you will leave me,

I am that God to whom you will not pray.

.
I am your counsel, but you will not hear me,

I am your lover whom you will betray.

I am the victor, but you do not cheer me,

I am the holy dove whom you will slay.
.

I am your life, but if you will not name me,

Seal up your soul with tears, and never blame me.

.

- by Charles Causley -

Dutch government furious

A few posts ago we discussed euthanasia of terminally ill children.

Now my government is furious after an Italian minister this week branded my country‘s euthanasia laws as akin to the policies of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Our Prime Minister Balkenende is expected to raise the matter with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi next week at a European summit.

"This is scandalous and unacceptable... it is not the way to get along in Europe," Balkenende said on Friday. Italian Parliamentary Relations Minister Carlo Giovanardi told a radio program on Thursday that Nazi thinking was re-emerging in Europe through Dutch euthanasia laws and a debate on the killing of children with deformities. '

Dutch media estimate about the lives of 15 to 20 disabled newborns are terminated each year.

Three years ago Berlusconi was himself in trouble for telling a German politician who was haranguing him during his debut at the European Parliament he should play a Nazi concentration camp guard in a film.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

This year, my Sinncity Amsterdam celebrates the 400th anniversary (15 July 1606) of the world-famous 17th century painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). This is why the greatest Dutch painter of the Golden Age is put into the spotlight throughout this year. I recently was invited to see some of his wonderful artwork.

Van Gogh Museum presents an exhibition by the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum featuring a remarkable confrontation between the two geniuses of Baroque art: Rembrandt van Rijn and his Italian counterpart, Caravaggio. In this first exhibition over 25 monumental paintings, by the masters of chiaroscuro, from various international museums provide a visual spectacle with powerful images of love, emotion and passion. Rembrandt-Caravaggio shows exclusively over here.

His great painting The Sacrifice of Isaac left an overwhelming impression. Off course because of the technique but to be honest more because of WHAT is painted. The ALLEDGED love that Abraham displayed towards God by his willingness to sacrifice his only beloved son. Muslims, Jews and Christians praise Abraham for this socalled act of love. Every father in the world is probably directly floored by this painting.

I could take the road of ethics now and ramble on the book "Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard. The work begins with a meditation on the faith of Abraham when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, as told in Genesis chapter 22. Then follow the "Problemata," which address three specific philosophical questions raised by the story of Abraham's sacrifice:

1. Is there a theological suspension of the ethical? (That is, can Abraham's intent to sacrifice Isaac be considered "good" even though, ethically, human sacrifice is unacceptable?)
   
2. Is there an absolute duty to God?
   
3. Was it ethically defensible for Abraham to have concealed his purpose from Sarah, Eleazar, and Isaac?

In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard introduces the "knight of faith" and contrasts him with the "knight of infinite resignation." The latter gives up everything for a great cause and continuously dwells with the pain of his loss.

I won't go that road today..

No, I believe that Abraham must have been totally insane. Thats my belief today.

(Update: Rembrandt upper left and Caravaggio lower right. I see Abraham despair in Rembrandts painting but a decisive and cruel Abraham in Caravaggio's)

Balkan Butcher Slobodan Milosevic dies in jail

(Breaking news on every channel over here) Milosevic, who was defending himself against 66 counts for war crimes allegedly committed in Bosnia, Kosovo and Croatia in the 1990s, suffered from chronic heart problems and high blood pressure. A few hours ago he was found dead in his cell in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Next to genocide he used mass rape as a war tactic.

Too bad for all his victims that this mass murderer can't stand trail anymore. I'll sing him a last song though:


(To the tune of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel)

It's nine o'clock on a Thursday
There's a large crowd out by parliament
There's a general sitting next to me
He got rid of Sebrenica's men
.
He says "Son can you find them a group to hate
Or I'm not sure how all this will go
It's sad and it's sweet, but we blew it complete
Rigging elections everyone knows"
.
la la la de de dala la de de da da da
.
Give us a speech Mr. Slobodan
Give us a speech tonight
Cause we're all in the mood for a genocide
It's the one thing round which we'll unite
.
Now Croatia was just a starting point
Mass murder we started with glee
But we quickly did move to the Bosnian Groove
And man didn't those muslims flee
.
And I told them we'd never lose Kosovo
Kept Albanians repressed you know
I was sure that it would all make me a star
If they would get out of that place
.
(chorus)
.
The secret police are all friends of mine
Who rule with a gun and a knife
They work with the army, who never would harm me
And for me took many good lives
.
But the populace practices politics
And attack the police with stones
Yes, they share in a dream called democracy
But it's better when I rule alone
.
(chorus)

It's a pretty good crowd for a couple days
And the grim reaper gives me a smile
Cause he knows that it's me, who just might have to flee
But we did some good work for awhile
.
And the rabble sounds like a carnival
And they claim I rule only with fear
But they supported all of my genocides
With what sounded a lot like a cheer
.
(chorus)
.
Courtesy Mark Hoolihan and the hoolinet.

Terrorist judgement breakthrough

Only a mile away from our house, there is the heavily protected Amsterdam Osdorp court. Yesterday many roads were blocked and streets were full of media.

Dutch judges convicted nine men of belonging to a terrorist group, a landmark verdict that concludes promoting a violent version of Islam can itself be an act of terrorism.

The case opens a new way for prosecutors to stop potential terrorists and for the Netherlands to tackle the broader problem of the spread of radicalism among Muslim youth.
Lawyers for the men said they will appeal.

Two men received 15- and 13-year prison terms for attempted murder after a clash with police during their arrest. One received a five-year term for possessing a loaded machine gun.
The rest were sentenced to up to two years in prison. All were found to have spread hateful propaganda among their friends and on the Internet, encouraging Muslims to join a holy war against the West.

Though most sentences were short, the judgment was sweeping.

"Anyone who preaches hate and violence lays the basis for committing crimes directed at instilling fear among the people and destroying Dutch democracy," said Judge Rene Elkerbout, reading the three-judge panel's ruling. "This is what the suspects contributed to. The court weighs that heavily against them."

Hurray for Holland I say! I hope many countries follow..

Orange arses..

Sales of orange replica Nazi helmets aimed at Dutch football fans attending the World Cup have trebled since they were banned from Dutch stadiums this month, the helmet's producer said yesterday.

Football's governing body in the Netherlands, the KNVB, banned the helmets ahead of a Dutch friendly against Ecuador in Amsterdam earlier this month, saying they were offensive.

"We are now selling three times the previous average daily volume," said the helmet's producer Florian van Laar. "We are thinking of sending the KNVB a gold helmet in thanks," he added.
His firm sells around 5,000 to 7,000 orange helmets per week and has added helmets in the national colours of Australia, England, Germany, France and Italy to its range.

"This is simply meant as a joke," Van Laar said.

Some joke..My two cents: Anyone wearing that helmet is a big arse!

Rockaby baby..

In the next few weeks, my country will become the first to allow the euthanasia of young children with incurable illness. A committee will be formed to decide when "baby euthanasia" is warranted.

The clinical director of pediatrics at the University Medical Centre in Groningen, has admitted participating in four "assisted neo-natal terminations." He has drawn up a protocol that has been adopted by the government, saying euthanasia can be considered only in cases with "unbearable suffering," with parental consent and consultation with other doctors.
"If a child is untreatably ill there can be horrendous suffering that makes the last few days or weeks of this child's life unbearable,"

Now the question is: are you going to leave the child like that or are you going to prevent the child from suffering?

Suitcase loss costs KLM EUR 200,000

A judge in the Philippines has ordered Dutch airline KLM to pay a fine of EUR 200,000 for losing a suitcase more than seven years ago. Dr José Tiongco was travelling with KLM as an envoy of the Philippine authorities in November 1998. He was scheduled to give a lecture at a conference held by the World Health Organisation in Kazakhstan.

He flew from Amsterdam to Frankfurt with KLM but his suitcase did not follow him. This meant he had give his lecture in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers — something that damaged his credibility, the judge agreed. KLM is appealing the decision.

I guess the guy never visited an ICT conference. It's good to see I'm not the only one taking myself too serious sometimes..

Size does matter

Study: For gay men, penis size does matter..

A new Dutch study at Utrecht University concludes that the length of his penis is key to a gay man’s self esteem and his view of his body in general, the South African Press Association and Dutch Press Agency reported. Most gay men regard a large penis as ideal, and self-esteem is linked to the size of the sexual organ, said Liesbeth Woertman, a sexologist and senior lecturer in clinical psychology. The study by Woertman involved 251 gay men, at an average of 29. "Our study reveals that how gay men see their penis has considerable influence on how they value themselves in general," Woertman told media outlets. "It is not known whether if there is a similar link in heterosexual men, but there are various reasons for assuming that the self-image of heterosexual men is linked to how they evaluate the most characteristically masculine part of their body."